Moving children directly from YR into Y2 to get around maximum class size rules - surely this is not ok?

[owlelf]

DD is in at a large Primary in YR. There are 2 Reception classes, with 32 children in each, one teacher and one TA per class. The large class sizes are due to children being added within special circumstances approved by the LEA.

I was chatting with a Y1 parent about what might happen if all 64 children are staying at school and moving from YR to Y1- as I understood, the school would be obliged to provide an extra teacher for Y1 if the class size went above 30 children.

The parent told me that under similar circumstances last year the school moved 5 children directly from YR into Y2. Apparently the parents of these Children only found out that this was happening when their DC bought a letter home on the last day of term (our school only gives information about a childs next teacher on the last day of term).

I know I don't have the full picture, and the school no doubt chose those 5 children carefully, but surely this is not OK?

This doesn't seem in the children's best interest. I help in Reception and can see that some children are more capable in some areas than others- but it seems that even the most capable have one or two areas where they are behind the majority of the class e.g. the fantastic free readers struggle a bit more with their social skills. So they would not benefit from skipping a year, I can't imagine any child would benefit from missing a year?

I have concerns that if this happens this year, DD might be chosen to skip a year as her teacher has made it clear that she is doing really really well.

They won't be in a Y2 class they'll be in a Y1/Y2 class

The top ability Y1s will be working at a similar level to the average Y2 kids (probably)

But either way the work will be differentiated properly.....

Or they could choose the 4 oldest kids, who will only be a few days younger than the other kids......

A lot of schools have mixed-age classes, and the teacher differentiates. They don't skip a year in the least.
You need to get a lot more information about it from the school so that you feel less worried about the consequences of the choice the school has made, and so you don't disseminate inaccurate information to other parents.

As mentioned already, it'll be a mixed age class. This is very common, particularly in smaller schools.

Nobody will skip a year, and as the National Curriculum is an entitlement, they won't miss any of that, either.

This actually happened to me as a child. I missed what is now Y3 and went straight to Y4 which I did twice. I enjoyed it and it hasn't adversely affected me. I think parents sometimes project worries onto a situation when the child may sail through.

If you have concerns, or specifically don't want your child to go straight to Y2, you should raise it with the head and find out for sure what is happening. You may be worrying about something that isn't going to happen, and those parents whose children are picked may be delighted. If they aren't, then they should raise it.

'This actually happened to me as a child'

I'm surprised, how long ago are you referring to? Did you repeat the curriculum as well, or did they give you appropriate work for your ability?

The rules are changing with regard to excepted children, and an extra teacher will no longer have to be provided.

Not sure if this will apply to this September. It certainly will in the future.

Actually this also happened in DS's school (at first I thought you were talking about the same school but there are a few differences). It is NOT always a mixed ability class even if they say it is a Y1/2 class.

There were 5 children working around the same level as the above average Y2 groups (unusual maybe but one of those things I guess). They were also excellent socially. Basically they were 2 above the 30 class size (had 2 YR teachers so not a problem then) but for some reason rather than doing a mixed 1/2 class they moved the 5 children into Y2 for everything (registration, classes, assembly).

It mainly works ok except for when it is 'convenient' for them not to be in Y2 ie there are too many for a particular school trip or something and also SATs week where they are shoved into Y1 for the week.

TBH the school are really good at differentiating so I am not sure why they did this but for the children involved it has been a brilliant experience and they are all achieving level 2c-3c already.

Oh and they will have to stay in Y2 as its infants only but there are already talking to us about the 'exciting' things they will be doing with them next year and how they think they will progress etc. Obviously we will see but its all promising!

I did this twice, once in infants and once in juniors. I spent 2 years in year 2, and 2 years in year 6. In year 2, I kept the same teacher for both years, but in year 6 I moved teachers (as an adult, I can see that the three classes were streamed, and I moved up a stream between year 5 & year 6, but had no idea of this as a kid!).

Things I would ask about:
school trips - in year 5 I wasn't allowed to go on the year 6 residential and stayed in school as an off-shoot of one of the year 5 classes.
swimming - at DD's primary, year 2 is when they start swimming lessons through school. Would the year 1 kids join those classes a year early, or would they stay in school and if so what would they be doing?
SATS as mentioned above - what happens to them during SATS week?

We weren't told what would happen in SATs week, I wish I had thought to ask as DS was pretty fed up about it but it was too late as it had already happened.

Definitely ask everything that RueDeWakening has mentioned, maybe you could just ask what happens when there are events occuring that the younger child won't be allowed to participate in.

We also had a few tears from Ds and a couple of the others when they got a letter home to say they wouldn't be invited to the leavers disco - we were all pretty annoyed as what is the hard in those 5 children going when they have spent a year in that class and there are only 20 children including them anyway. The DCs were upset about it and we all thought it was a bit unfair.

I had mixed classes at primary school also, a 3/4 and a 5/6 due to large class sizes. We were separated for core subjects but beyond that I don't really remember how they worked it.

This sounds like ds's old school...

I was handed a bit of paper on the last day of Reception saying he was going into Year 2. There was no consultation.

Anyway, it was a disaster. He went into Year 2 with two other children, both September born. Ds is an August birthday. He was at least a year and in some cases two years younger than the other pupils in the class. He was vastly smaller physically and socially younger as well. Although academically able, missing out Year 1 left gaps in his learning - particularly handwriting.

We moved area and ds went back into Year 1 in a new school. I wish I had taken him out and home schooled.

Yes I agree to an extent with Gramercy, however at DSs school one of the children was not quite to the Y2 level for handwriting so she just went to the Y1 class for writing so it was never a problem. It is a really small school so maybe it was easier for them to identify any gaps.

There was one child who is an august born child who, although was extremely able, they considered he was not socially ready so he did not move into Y2. They ensure he is working at the appropriate level for his ability but staying in Y1 means that it is more appropriate for his level socially, the 5 that moved up were moved on their academic ability and social skills.